Short answer NO…
However, there are other questions you should be asking:
Is cardio great for Fat burn? Depends on how you do it.
Is strength training better for fat burn over Cardio?…. Again depends on what and how you do it.
Are there other benefits apart from training the cardiovascular system? Yes…
I often have to explain to my clients the benefits of cardiovascular and weight training. Many have done cardio training for years but say they have not lost weight or body fat with the hours they have put in walking/cycling or jogging for example. I will explain the theory of this shortly but first I need to explain calories to you.
Look at a calorie as a unit of energy. 1 calorie will provide enough energy to raise the temperature of 1ml of water by 1 degree centigrade. That is all calories are. They provide the body with energy to perform our daily tasks. Like a car when we start to run out of fuel we do not function as well both physically and mentally.
Macros are broken down as:
1g Carbs = approx. 4Kcals
1g Protein = approx. 4 Kcals
1g Fat = approx. 9 Kcals
So let’s give an example and explain why someone who goes out running/cycling/walking may end up stagnating pretty quickly. During the first few week’s body weight will drop, *not necessarily from body fat. When someone starts to exercise they will start to look after their macros and reduce carbs and fat. Therefore, with the added exercise and the burning of calories the body ends up in a calorie deficit, hence a reduction in *body weight. At some point the body will adapt as they get fitter, however this person is still exercising at the same level. Therefore, body weight down, fitness up with lower resting heart rate, no increased strain on the body and still eating the same foods the body will break even and plateaux. The next thing that happens that person will eventually stop exercising all together and have a negative learning experience that cardio is overrated!!!
The problem is they did not have the knowledge on how to mix their cardio sessions up to get results. (there are some examples in “Great for fat loss”)
So Cardio is a great form of exercise, these are the benefits of Cardiovascular training:
Improved Cardiovascular system
Great for Fat loss
Great for muscle toning
Lower risk of heart disease
Lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Lower risk of Stroke
Lower risk of some cancers
Increased Self-esteem
Increased mood
Helps with Depression
Reducing the risk of Dementia
Reducing the risk of Alzheimer
After reading those I think you can agree that cardio is not overrated. In fact, it is underrated.
Improved cardiovascular system; means that your body is more efficient at supplying your muscles with oxygen. The pulse rate will be slower and the heart will be stronger. Therefore, with every beat your heart will pump out larger volumes of blood compared to someone who is physically inactive and lives a sedentary lifestyle.
Great for fat loss; Cardiovascular training is fantastic for fat loss if done right. The body is great at making adaptations so you conserve energy, that means you have to adapt your training to keep the body responding. For example, 30 mins cardio 3 times per week at a steady pace will only do so much. Eventually the body will plateaux. By using any 3 of the following sessions below you will keep your body responding
1 high intensity Intervals with 1 min on and 1 min off
5 mins hard then 3 mins recovery and go again.
8s hard 12s easy for 20 mins
Steady State
Highest sustainable effort
10 mins as hard as possible 5 mins recovery and repeat.
This will make you fitter and, and cause the body to burn fat more efficiently. Please read my blog fat burn v’ weight loss for more information on this.
Great for muscle tone; Cardio puts strain on the muscles that are used in the activity. Therefore, those muscles become stronger and more toned with the increased activity. A runner or cyclist will have great legs. Someone who does a lot of bodyweight cardiovascular such as the dreaded burpees will tone their shoulders, core, triceps as well as their legs. This is also known as conditioning.
Cardiovascular exercise can also reduce the risk and help with chronic medical conditions and mental Health as listed in the list above; This information was taken from https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-health-benefits/;
“Whatever your age, there's strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and happier life.”
What about strength training over cardio?
Strength training is also a fantastic form of exercise which will be looked into more in another blog.
Strength training tones muscles and also creates a significant calorie burn. It is also a fact that the more muscle tissue you have the more calories you will burn. As for putting strain on the cardiovascular system, strength training is not as efficient. Yes, your heart rate does raise but not to the extent that is does with cardiovascular training. Hence why a bodybuilder who looks in great shape can get out of breath running up a staircase.
Fat loss over the next 24-48hrs of strength training will be increased due to the heart working hard to provide the body with nutrition. This would be the same for a tough cardio session with high intensity intervals. But the overall calorie burn would be a lot less with strength training Example:
Weight training for a 70kg male:
1hr = 300-400
Tough cardio session:
1hr = 700-800.
So as a Personal Trainer in MK I like to use metabolic training which consists of high intensity cardiovascular exercises for a short period followed by 1-2 strength training and 1-2 functional training. This has the best results for all my clients in providing fat burn and increased metabolism.
If you would like any further information, then feel free to contact me or sign up to my blogs for notifications of when I release them.
Thank you
Andy Cross Personal Trainer Milton Keynes – Cross PT
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